Environmental biotechnology: Challenges and opportunities for chemical engineers

Chemical engineers are uniquely poised to contribute in the emerging area of environmental biotechnology, since many of the potential solutions require a combined perspective from modern biology and process engineering, two areas where chemical engineers excel. The realization of environmental biotechnology into practical solutions requires the implementation of process design, which is the foundation of the chemical engineering discipline. A notable opportunity that has been overlooked by most chemical engineers is the production of valuable products and energy directly from wastewater, where the possibility of biohydrogen and bioelectricity production is of particular interest. The ever-increasing information regarding the structure and function of enzymes and pathways involved in biodegradation of recalcitrant pollutants offers opportunities for improving enzymes or entire pathways by genetic engineering. The availability of bacterial genomes relevant to biodegradation represents an excellent opportunity for chemical engineers who are already involved with system biology. Although the ability to predictively design microbes or enzymes for any given remediation remains a tough task, the increasing understanding of fundamental mechanistic principles generated from both genetic research or directed evolution will lead to the emergence of novel solutions for improved bioremediation.